After a Western road trip that saw them go 2-2-1, the Boston Bruins returned to Boston on Saturday night to take on the Buffalo Sabres, who came into the game on a 12-game losing streak. The Bruins ended their road trip with an overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers after blowing a 2-0 lead. Both teams came into the game looking for a bounce-back win.
The Bruins’ recurring issues this season were on full display. The power play was largely not good. They struggled to execute at times. The team also failed to consistently apply pressure and get pucks on net, registering only 19 shots on goal, which doesn’t cut it against better opponents.
Still, the Bruins proved they can be scrappy when necessary and managed to break a tie late in the third period to win their seventh in 10 games, 3-1. It is their most successful stretch of the season so far.
Korpisalo Impresses
There were several raised eyebrows, including my own, when the return for the Linus Ullmark trade with the Ottawa Senators was announced. Joonas Korpisalo was brought in as part of the return to be the new backup behind Jeremy Swayman. He came into Boston with a big question mark after a down year in 2023-24.
So far though, Korpisalo has been solid in 2024-25, which was on full display against the Sabres. He came into the game having 10 starts and a 6-3-1 record with a 2.56 goals-against average (GAA) and a .901 save percentage.
He was the Bruins’ best player against the Sabres. He had a major save in the first period to keep the Bruins ahead by one. As well, he weathered several penalty kills against the young, talented skilled players on Buffalo’s roster. The goal he let in during the second period was more on the skill of the Buffalo power play and loss of coverage by the Bruins’ penalty kill than a failure on Korpisalo’s part.
He finished the game with 19 saves and a .950 save percentage. It was a close game, and there were a number of moments where the Sabres could have scored if it weren’t for Korpisalo. He was the MVP of the game for the Bruins.
Discipline Continues to Be an Issue
The Bruins are the most penalized team in the NHL, and it has been a significant factor in their 2024-25 season. After many seasons of having one of the strongest penalty kills in the league, this season, it has not been quite as dominant, playing a role in a number of their losses.
The penalties continued against the Sabres. They had two in the first period, and one in the second period that led to a game-tying goal from JJ Peterka. The Bruins have been their own worst enemy this entire season, and this game was no exception.
Special teams in general have been an area of great concern this season. They have the second-worst power play in the league and had several anemic-looking man-up opportunities against the Sabres before they finally got a power-play goal in the third period, their first since they faced the Vancouver Canucks (Dec. 15). The penalty kill is currently ranked 21st in the league. They simply cannot win games when they take the most penalties in the league, have a middling penalty kill, and cannot take advantage of their own man-up opportunities.
It’s not just penalties that the Bruins need to be more disciplined about. It’s dropped passes. It’s missed coverage on the penalty kill. It’s David Pastrnak being offside on the Morgan Geekie goal that could have put Boston up by one midway through the third period. This is a team that will find a way in each game to be their own worst enemy.
Wahlstrom Up and Down Boston Debut
Oliver Wahlstrom, the newest member of the Bruins, made his debut in Boston wearing the black and gold, but it probably wasn’t the debut that the local product dreamed of as a kid. The 24-year-old, who was born and raised in Maine, was the 11th overall draft pick by the New York Islanders in the 2018 NHL Draft. Unfortunately, he never quite got things going for him there and was put on waivers by the team earlier this week. He was subsequently picked up by the Bruins.
Wahlstrom makes sense for the Bruins. A local product who is only 24 and could clearly use a change of scenery. He joined the team on their road trip, making his debut against the Oilers. He only played 8:51 and had two shots playing on a line with Trent Frederic and Charlie Coyle.
Against the Sabres, Wahlstrom played nearly 10 minutes and was largely unnoticeable save for two plays, one good and one bad. The bad one was the penalty he took in the second period that led to Buffalo’s game-tying, power-play goal. The good one was the penalty he drew late in the third period that led to Geekie’s game-winning power-play goal.
Of course, he is still new to the organization and some guys do take time to adjust. Hopefully, as he gets more comfortable, he can be more impactful on the ice outside of just taking or drawing penalties. The Bruins should continue to give him some more opportunities and ice time to prove himself.
Bruins Continue Making Improvements
It was a rough start to the season for the majority of the Bruins’ roster, but in the last few weeks, many of them have been able to turn it around. Two guys in particular, Geekie and Brad Marchand, were good against the Sabres.
After a breakthrough season in 2023-24, it took Geekie seven games to register his first point and 12 games to get his first goal. He was even a healthy scratch multiple times at the end of October and the beginning of November. But, things are looking up for him. He scored his third goal in four games against the Sabres after having a goal called back in the second period. He is much more noticeable on the ice and is looking more and more like the player he was last season.
With an empty-net goal to put the game away, Marchand extended his point streak to nine games. He now has 14 goals and 27 points in 35 games, firmly in second place for points on the team. The captain is the heart and the soul of the team, so its good to see him looking more and more like himself on the ice after three offseason surgeries and a shaky start to 2024-25.
2025 Around the Corner
The Bruins have four games left in the 2024 calendar year, facing off against the Washington Capitals and the Columbus Blue Jackets twice each. When looking at the calendar year, it has certainly been a bit of a down year including their second-round playoff loss to the Florida Panthers and the rough start to the 2024-25 season that led to Jim Montgomery being fired as head coach.
As the calendar gets ready to flip to 2025, there is certainly a lot that the Bruins want to leave behind them in 2024. But, despite their flaws, they are still finding ways to win, which was on full display against the Sabres. Hopefully, that can continue in 2025.
